


The Making of the McDonald Family

by RinaRose



Series: The McDonald Family [1]
Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: 5+1 Things, Angus McDonald deserves all the love, Canon Trans Character, Day of Story and Song, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Families of Choice, Family Fluff, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Found Family, Gen, Have I mentioned there's a lot of fluff?, He is the Best Boy, Heartfelt Conversations, House Hunting, Hurt/Comfort, Nightmares, Panic Attacks, Post-Canon, Soft Dad Taako, Taaco Twins, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, accidental misgendering, allergic reactions, not really a chapter just drabbles, oh look I added a bonus chapter, rated T for canon-typical language, theres a little angst but it's mostly just incredibly cute domestic fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-29
Updated: 2020-09-07
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:33:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 19,316
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25593589
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RinaRose/pseuds/RinaRose
Summary: 5 times Angus calls Taako 'dad' + 1 time when things become officialor, alternatively: 1 time Taako tells Angus he loves him + a whole bunch of times he says it without words
Relationships: Angus McDonald & Taako, Kravitz & Angus McDonald, Kravitz/Taako (The Adventure Zone), Lup & Angus McDonald, Lup & Taako (The Adventure Zone), Magnus Burnsides & Angus McDonald
Series: The McDonald Family [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1855021
Comments: 91
Kudos: 290





	1. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I.  
> Angus worries.  
> Taako makes a confession.  
> The IPRE crew get reacquainted.

The IPRE crew had been fighting the hunger for 100 years, and they had finally defeated it for good. The aftermath of the battle was emotional for everyone involved, but for the seven birds it was a long overdue reunion. The Day of Story and Song is the start of a happy ending for all of them.

All of them, but not Angus. Of course Angus is happy; he’s overjoyed really, that the danger is gone and the heroes have won and all his friends are safe. But he hasn’t been fighting anything for 100 years, because he’s barely 11. And the Bureau of Balance had been the first stable home he ever had. So no, although Angus is happy, this isn’t the start to his happy ending. Yet.

There’s a bit of chaos, after the battle. There are people everywhere. The IPRE crew stand close together, surrounded by many Bureau members as well as citizens of Faerun. People hug and cheer and rejoice. Some are straight up partying, while others look somber, and still more are starting to clean up the damage.

Magnus stands talking to Lucretia and Davenport. Merle looks like he’s trying to help heal the injured. Barry stands by awkwardly as Taako tries and fails to hug his non-corporeal sister. Taako _has_ a sister. It’s something Angus will have to get used to.

Angus just lingers on the outskirts, not sure what to do with himself. He’s not sure where to go; he knows at some point he should get his things from the moon, but he doesn’t even know what state the moon is in, or how he’ll get there. And realistically, he knows he can’t stay there for long. The Bureau of Balance is no longer needed, after all.

His mind starts rushing toward the future, contemplating what he’ll have to do. He feels a twinge of despair at the thought of losing the people he’s grown close to over the past year, especially Merle, Magnus, and Taako. Especially Taako. Angus doesn’t like the idea of going back to being a freelance detective by himself – as much as he loves solving crimes, he had really enjoyed having a room of his own on the moon base. He certainly doesn’t like the idea of losing touch with the people who had become like family to him, but he hopes that won’t be the case. He can see them every so often, and he can call them on their stones. If they answer. He hopes with all his heart that Taako will still want to teach him magic sometimes.

This line of thinking has Angus suddenly feeling very upset, and young, and lost. Before he knows it, tears are slipping down his cheeks. He looks around at the joyous reunions happening all around him, and wonders what his place is in all of this.

Taako has had a long day, and he’s got a lot to process. Seriously, he just found out that his twin sister, who he forgot about for more than 10 years, has been living inside his magic umbrella. That’s a lot to take in, and there are a lot of emotions tangled up in it. There’s relief at having won the battle, joy at being reunited with Lup, despair at what was taken from him, anger at the person who took it, and an overwhelming sense of guilt at the idea that he failed his sister so terribly.

So yeah, there’s a lot going on, but surprisingly one thing he knows for sure is that Taako loves Angus. He had never actively disliked the boy, despite his constant goofs – in fact, ragging on Angus is just how Taako shows he cares. And yeah, his general feeling toward the world’s greatest detective had been one of ever-increasing fondness, especially since they started regular magic lessons. But it had only been today, when Taako had looked around himself and understood that the only person he trusted unconditionally was Angus, that he realized just how deeply this boy had made his way into Taako’s heart.

It’s a weird thing, for someone who spent so very long trying not to care about anyone but himself and his family; maybe it even means that Angus _is_ part of his family. He’s going to need time to process that, too. (In time, Taako will come to understand that he sees some of himself in Angus. He sees a lonely boy with so much potential. And though he now knows they aren’t complete memories, Taako remembers feeling like he grew up alone, with no one at his back.) Maybe that’s why he feels like, although the big fight is over, he wants to keep fighting the little fights for Angus. But that thought is too sappy and too real for him to ever put into words.

In the moment, people are starting to disperse, and Taako suddenly feels dead tired. He seriously had a washing machine fall on him not all that long ago, in the grand scheme of things, never mind all the stuff that happened afterwards.

It seems like Lup notices this at the same time he does, because she says, “You should get some rest, Taako.” They’re already back to being so in sync that he can’t believe he ever lived without her.

“Yeah, I should. I guess we should go back to the moon? That’s where all my shit is,” he replies, looking around the crowd for Kravitz to make them a portal through the astral plane back to the reclaimer’s suite on the moon. Before he finds Kravitz, though, he spots Angus. Angus, with tears on his face, looking so lost, makes Taako’s already fragile heart break even more. He steps closer, placing a hand on the boy’s arm.

“Pumpkin, are you okay? Are you hurt?”

“Oh, no sir!” Angus seems glad that Taako has found him among the crowd. “I’m just, um…” he shrugs as more tears slip from his eyes. Taako has never seen the world’s greatest detective at a loss for words.

“I know, it’s a lot to take in. But we won, Ango. There’s no need to cry.”

“I’m sorry, sir. I just don’t know what happens next,” Angus says through his tears. “I know it’s silly, but I liked living on the moon, and I liked hanging out with you and Magnus and Merle, and I liked when you did magic lessons with me, but now it’s over and you’ll all want to go live your own lives, and I don’t know where to go,” he sobs.

Taako kneels down in front of Angus, meeting his eye level. He reaches out to wipe the tears from the boy’s face.

“Oh pumpkin, don’t you know how much I love you?” Taako’s thumb freezes in it’s path across Angus’s cheek, as if he realized what he said a second after it had already left his mouth. Angus’s eyes widen, tears instantly stopped in their tracks.

“You do?”

Taako sighs, resigned. “Of course I do, Angus. Look, you’re a smart kid. You’re like, some kind of detective, so you must have noticed that talking about feelings isn’t exactly easy for me, yeah?” Angus nods, and Taako continues, “But I just found out that Lucretia lied to me about everything, my boyfriend told me he loved me, and my dead sister came out of my umbrella, where she was trapped for a decade. So the emotions are already a-flowing, little man. Yeah, I love you, just don’t get too used to hearing me say it.”

Angus flings himself at Taako, wrapping his arms around his neck and burying his face in his shoulder. “I love you too, sir,” he says, voice muffled. And Taako doesn’t even grumble about it, just starts rubbing Angus’s back. It’s comforting.

After a few moments, when Angus seems to have calmed down, Taako pats his back definitively and says, “C’mon bud, let’s go home.”

Angus pulls his face away from Taako’s shoulder to say, “But I still don’t know where my home is anymore.”

  
“Me neither, kid, so let’s go figure it out. I promise I won’t leave you behind, Angus.”

There are tears in Angus’s eyes once again, but for a whole new reason. They’re good tears, and Angus doesn’t want to wipe away his tears of happiness. He takes Taako’s hand, and together they walk into their future.

It’s not until the next evening when Taako and Angus fully realize the new depth to their relationship. Everyone takes time to rest, heal, and begin to pick up the pieces of their lives. But the night after the Day of Story and Song is when the IPRE crew finally has time to sit down and just be together.

They gather in Lucretia’s quarters on the moon base. Taako cooks dinner with Lup helping as much as she can, and it feels like such a return to normalcy that it’s almost absurd. There is still simmering anger from both the twins directed at the former Director, but they also know that talking will help the situation. Forgiveness is a long road, but it has to start somewhere.

So the IPRE crew gathers for a family dinner the way they did nearly every night during their impossibly long journey, and Taako brings Angus along too, because he just wants to. After dinner they move into Lucretia’s sitting room to continue the conversation. Taako finds a spot on the couch, and Angus sits on the floor, leaning against his legs. He’s listening to the conversation, but he also has a Caleb Cleveland novel in his hands, just in case. Taako had offered to walk him home after dinner if he was bored, but he likes being here. Even though things are a bit awkward right now, it feels like an honor to be included in this family.

The conversation carries on as they catch up on what they have missed in 10 years of each other’s lives.

“I can’t believe Magnus had a wife!” Lup says.

“I can’t believe Merle has kids!” Magnus says.

“I can’t believe Taako has a kid!” Merle says.

Taako freezes, breaking the chain of the conversation. “Uhhh, I don’t know if you’ve met me, Merle, but I’m super gay and definitely don’t have any children.”

He’s met by blank stares from all directions. It’s Davenport who speaks up, saying, “I think Merle was talking about how close you’ve gotten with Angus, there.”

Angus feels eyes on him, and he wants to break the awkward tension that’s settled in the air, so he musters up all the sarcasm he can (which is admittedly not much) to say, “Uh, _yeah_ , I’m right here, dad!”

Taako reaches down and pulls one of Angus’s curls taut, not enough to hurt but just enough to tease him, letting it bounce back as he says, “Don’t be a smartass, taquito.”

Everyone laughs at the little exchange, and the conversation moves on, but Angus can’t help but feel like there’s been some slight change between he and Taako. He said it as a joke, but it feels like that word was a milestone. Some aspect of his relationship to Taako had been fuzzy, and saying the word ‘dad’ was like drinking the Voidfish’s ichor; it’s suddenly now crystal clear to Angus. And apparently it was clear to everyone else, too, except maybe Taako himself. Maybe.

He decides to bring it up as Taako walks him back to their temporary living space in the Reclaimer’s dorm.

“I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable earlier, sir. When I called you, um… dad.”

“No need to apologize, taquito.” And that’s it – that’s the whole conversation. But that’s all Taako needs to say for Angus to know that he isn’t upset with this new title. And maybe he’s even starting to think of Angus as ‘son’ too, if this new nickname is anything to go by.

It’s new and awkward and fragile, but Angus knows that he’s part of a family now, and he couldn’t be happier.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> II.   
> Taako goes house hunting.  
> Angus gets mischievous.   
> And of course there's a heartfelt conversation thrown in there.

They spend about two weeks on the moon. Two weeks for the IPRE crew to get reacquainted before making plans to go their own ways and finally live their own lives. Two weeks to gather and pack up their belongings, and help with some of the rebuilding before moving on. But eventually it is time to move on.

Taako would have moved immediately, if the whole world didn’t also need time to rebuild. But enough is enough, and one sunny day Taako is ready to go house hunting. He brings Angus along with him, claiming that he needs the boy’s detective skills to scope out any potential issues with the houses. Angus is eager to look for clues, but then again, he’s eager to do pretty much everything. Taako often wonders where he gets so much energy and enthusiasm.

The real estate agent is a friendly looking halfling woman, and even in her high heels she’s only an inch or two taller than Angus. She meets them in front of the first house they’re looking at and smiles brightly. The house is insanely large to Angus, but it doesn’t seem to faze Taako at all, and Angus isn’t about to question how he can afford a house like this. Apparently saving the world comes with perks.

“Hello, you must be Taako. It’s an honor to meet you. My name is Orla; I’ll be showing you a few homes today. And who’s this?” she asks, looking at Angus.

“Hello, ma’am! My name is Angus McDonald, and I’m the World’s Greatest Detective,” he responds, reaching into his pocket and handing over a business card with only his name it. Taako takes the opportunity to rag on him.

“Ango, we’ve talked about this. Your business cards are terrible. All that says is your name, it doesn’t even say what your business is. And how are people supposed to contact you?”

Angus is crestfallen. “I’m sorry, I haven’t had time to get them reprinted.”

Taako sighs and moves on before the kid starts crying. “It’s alright, we can work on that later.” He turns his attention back to Orla, saying, “Hi, yes, it’s me, Taako from TV. Let’s get on with it.”

“Right,” Orla says, turning and leading them into the house. She spouts off facts about the house, like how many bedrooms and bathrooms it has, when it was built, and any special features included, before letting them roam around to look at the rooms on their own.

The only word Angus can use to describe the first house they look at is “modern.” It’s made of glass and metal, and everything in the house is either white or chrome. He doesn’t like this house at all, and he’s glad when Taako echoes his thoughts.

“I lived on a spaceship for way too long, I don’t need more industrial vibes,” he says, and with that, they move on to the next house.

In front of the next house, Orla does her little speech again. “The master bedroom has an attached office, but it could be used for anything. Maybe a nursery,” she says, then looks at Angus and does a little shoulder shimmy as she adds, “In case you have any little brothers or sisters.”

Angus flushes. She thinks that he’s Taako’s son. She’s not entirely wrong about that, but she’s not exactly right either, and for some reason the complexity of that thought sends butterflies to his stomach. Luckily, Taako brushes the comment off easily.

“Yeah, no. But I could use a walk-in closet. Let’s go look, bubeleh,” he says, walking up the front steps.

Angus is not sure what compels him to do it. Maybe he’s already spending too much time with Lup, but a sense of mischief that he doesn’t normally possess washes over him, and he wants to mess with Taako.

So he says, “Sure thing, dad!” as he bounds up the steps, stopping next to the elf.

Taako looks down at Angus for a moment, eyebrows furrowed in a calculating look. Then he breaks into a similarly mischievous smile that seems to say, ‘two can play at that game.’

That’s all it takes to set them off, and for the rest of the day it’s like they’re in an unspoken competition. Angus does his best to act like a perfect son. He never spent much time with his biological father, but he knows the things dads usually do with their sons and he makes a point to comment on them within earshot of Orla. Like when he sees the yard at house #2, he tells Taako that he can’t wait to play catch with him. Or when Taako is fawning over the massive kitchen in house #3, and Angus asks Taako to teach him all his favorite recipes. He makes sure to call Taako ‘dad’ at every opportunity, without laying it on too thick.

For his part, Taako starts calling Angus an increasingly bizarre series of pet names. He cycles through a number of vegetables, then terms of endearment usually reserved for very small babies, and finally to two-syllable sounds that are vaguely adjacent to Angus’s name. He starts to heavily favor “Gogo” by the end of the day. Part of Angus hates the nickname, but part of him is reminded of the way Taako calls Lup ‘Lulu,’ and he feels those same conflicted butterflies from earlier.

Orla must think they’re just a very loving family, but if anyone who actually knew them were watching, they would be laughing at the performance. Angus is having fun with it, and he suspects Taako is too.

Despite all the fun, house hunting is tiring. Taako deemed house #1 too industrial looking. Although it had 5 bedrooms, house #2 was somehow too small – when Angus asks why Taako needs so many rooms, he simply shrugs and says that he has a big family. House #3 was covered floor to ceiling in dated wallpaper, and they both agreed that it would be too much work to remove. Angus liked house #4, but Taako said the kitchen was ‘all wrong,’ although he wouldn’t elaborate on what that meant.

Finally, they get to house #5. It’s still a large mansion, but it seems cozy and welcoming, with vines that look like they were purposefully placed growing up the brick chimney. There are enough bedrooms and bathrooms to satisfy Taako, as well as a large kitchen with a walk-in pantry and a breakfast nook. There’s a big yard with a breezy porch, the roof of which serves as a balcony for some of the bedrooms on the second floor. But Angus’s favorite thing about the house is the spacious widow’s walk above the third floor; three of the walls have large windows with built-in benches below each, and the fourth wall is made entirely of built-in bookshelves. It’s perfect – Angus can picture himself sitting here on a rainy day, reading a juicy mystery novel.

He loves this house, and he hopes Taako does too. He asks about it as they make their way back downstairs to meet up with Orla in the foyer.

“Well, what did you think of this one, sir?”

Taako takes a moment to feign deliberation before finally declaring his verdict: “I like it. Spacious, updated appliances, and that kitchen is,” he brings his fingers together in front of his mouth in a chef’s kiss. “But what do you think, detective?” He glances at Angus, who can’t hide his enthusiasm.

“I think it’s great, sir! It’s a little farther from the closest city than you wanted, but I think it meets everything else you were looking for. And you could even use the space in the basement to make a lab for Mr. Barry and Ms. Lup.”

“Hmm, and let me guess, you like the reading nook upstairs,” Taako calls him out. Angus’s smile turns sheepish, but he doesn’t stop smiling. Gods, this boy is so full of constant joy that it makes Taako’s heart ache.

“Well, yes sir, but it was pretty spacious. You could put a desk up there to use as an office, or –”  
Taako cuts him off, saying “Nah, I think that should be your space, Ango. Use it as your own office, or for magic practice, or whatever the fuck you want.”

“Oh,” Angus replies. “But what will you do with it when I’m not visiting you?”

Taako freezes on the stairs, turning toward the boy. “Angus.”

“Um, yes?”

“Do you really think you won’t be living here?”

Now Angus freezes, trepidation in his eyes as he meets Taako’s. “Well, are you really sure you want me to?”

Taako sighs deeply. “I don’t know how many times I have to tell you this, Ango.”  
“Tell me what, sir?” Angus is confused, but Taako glosses over his question.

“You’ve been calling me d-” he stops himself, “ _that_ all day, and then act surprised when I mention you living with me.”

Tears start to form in Angus’s eyes. “I’m sorry, sir. I thought we were just goofing off. This is all still new to me, and I wasn’t sure you would want me around so much. I didn’t mean to make you upset.”

“I’m not upset with you, pumpkin. If anything, I’m upset with myself; I just can’t get the words right. But I meant what I said before. I promise I won’t leave you behind,” he repeats his words from the Day of Story and Song, this time adding, “Ever.”

Angus wipes his face and tries not to cry anymore. He really does cry a lot, doesn’t he? But he doesn’t want his happy tears to be mistaken for anything else this time, so he does his best to hold them in.

“Okay, if you’re really sure.”

“I’m sure, Angus. Why do you think I brought you house hunting with me?”

“Um, for my detective skills?” Angus’s voice is still a little weepy, but he can’t help it.

“Maybe, but mostly it was so you’d have first dibs to pick out your bedroom.”

Angus perks up immediately. “Seriously?”

“Hell yeah, little dude. I get the master, of course. But everything else is fair game. And remember, I’ve already decided you get the reading nook, too.”

Angus surges forward to hug Taako, which is a little treacherous since they’re still on the stairs, but Taako hugs him back before saying, “Why don’t you go look at the bedrooms again. I’ll go tell Orla that we’ve made our decision.”

After his conversation with Orla, Taako finds Angus in one of the bedrooms on the second floor. He can see why Angus likes it – for one thing, it’s right across the hall from the master bedroom, but it also has a built-in bench in the bay windows, just like the room upstairs. That’s where Angus is sitting when he enters the room.

“Nice choice,” he says, coming over to sit next to his boy. “Now, don’t freak out, Angus, but there’s just one more thing I have to talk to you about. I meant what I said, and I want to make this work. But I need to know… do you have any family? Like, people who will come after me for kidnapping you?”

Angus giggles a little, saying “Oh, no sir. You don’t have to worry about that, I don’t have any family.” The juxtaposition of the laughing boy and the sad reality of what he’s saying breaks Taako’s heart. (Again. Why does Angus keep doing that to him?)

“Look, I understand if you don’t want to talk about it, but… what about your biological parents?” The World’s Greatest Detective notes the use of the word ‘biological,’ as in, ‘people who were once your parents but no longer are.’ As in, ‘because I’m your parent now.’

“It’s okay. My parents died when I was really little; I don’t remember too much about them. Then I went to live with my grandpa, but he was getting too old to take care of me, so I was supposed to go live with an aunt, but no one ever came looking for me, so I just decided to start working as a detective all over Faerun, and that’s when I met you.”

The story would be sad, if Angus wasn’t so upbeat while telling it. And it reminds Taako of his own childhood, bouncing from one family member to another. At least he had Lup to lean on; Angus has no one, which is probably why Taako wants to take care of him so much.

“So you’re sure no one is going to be mad at me for taking you away from them, right?”

“I’m sure.”

“Okay. Well then, it’s you and me, taquito.” Angus smiles brightly, and Taako continues, “And Lup and Barry, of course. And Kravitz will probably be around a lot. Not to mention everyone from the Starblaster crew. But yeah, ya know, just you and me.” He nudges Angus with his elbow, and Angus giggles. And just like that, Taako and Angus definitively go from ‘teacher and apprentice’ to ‘father and son.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I include a John Mulaney reference? Yes. Do I regret my actions? Not at all.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> III.  
> Angus has a nightmare.  
> Lup gets a new title.  
> Taako does some magic.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CW for misgendering of a canon trans character. Obviously no one would ever purposefully misgender Lup, but there is a brief moment where Angus doesn’t have his glasses on and mixes up the twins.

Angus feels like things have finally started to calm down and he’s just settling into his new life when he’s thrown for a new loop, so to speak. Moving had been a whirlwind of packing and unpacking, painting walls, buying new furniture, and helping decorate every room in the large new house. All the while, Barry had been overseeing the creation of Lup’s new body on the moon. So Angus knows what’s coming, and he even has a few weeks living in the house with just Taako – and occasionally Kravitz – to adjust before Barry and Lup are ready to move in with them.

Still, Angus isn’t prepared for how identical the twins are. Of course he knows that they’re identical twins, but he also knows that Taako is a man and Lup is a woman, so he expected them to look slightly different. And they do look slightly different, especially when Taako doesn’t have his glamour on. They wear their hair and do their makeup differently, but they also have a bad habit of borrowing each other’s clothes. And at times they act so similarly that it can be disconcerting.

It’s like the phrase ‘double trouble’ was coined specifically to warn Angus about Taako and Lup.

Although he’s settling into this new normal easily enough, it doesn’t mean Angus can easily forget the bad things that happened; it doesn’t mean he doesn’t get nightmares. But Angus was used to being on his own before, so he’s used to dealing with his problems on his own too. A nightmare is something he can deal with.

About a month after Lup and Barry move in with them, Angus has a particularly bad nightmare about the Hunger. A ‘no chance of falling back asleep any time soon’ kind of nightmare. For a few moments after waking up, he’s even too scared to move, but he knows that turning the light on will help, so he finally musters enough courage to reach over to the lamp on the bedside table. After a few minutes sitting there in terrified silence, he knows he needs a distraction. He slips out of bed and makes his way toward the kitchen for a glass of warm milk. He doesn’t bother to put his glasses on.

There’s someone in the kitchen with their back to Angus, and he just assumes it’s Taako. “Oh, hello, sir. I didn’t know you were still up.”

Except that he assumed wrong. Lup turns around, saying, “Be careful who you’re calling ‘sir,’ Ango.”

Angus stops in his tracks, aghast at the mistake he just made. “Oh my gosh, Miss Lup! I didn’t mean to do that. I don’t have my glasses on and I’m still kinda spooked cuz I just had a nightmare and I, I thought you were Taako! I’m so sorry!” he splutters.

Lup softens. “It’s okay, bud. I know you wouldn’t do that on purpose. Just wear your glasses, next time,” she says with a chuckle.

“I will,” Angus says solemnly, before wiping his eyes with his sleeve.

“So, a nightmare, huh?” Lup asks.

“Uh-huh,” Angus responds quietly, stepping to the fantasy refrigerator. “I just came down for a glass of milk.”

“Warm milk is good,” Lup says as she watches Angus put his glass in the fantasy microwave for a few seconds. “But I have something better to help with nightmares.” She turns and rummages through a cabinet for a few moments before producing two pieces of chocolate. She keeps one for herself and hands the other to Angus, who smiles deeply.

“Oooh, yum! Thank you, ma’am.”

“Sure, thing, Angus.” She hops up to sit on the counter, and pats the spot next to her. Angus sets his glass down and follows suit, climbing up to sit next to her. They nibble their chocolate and Angus sips his milk for a moment in companionable silence before Lup says, “You know, you don’t have to call us that anymore.”

“Call you what?”

“Ma’am or sir. You don’t have to be so formal around us, I mean, we’re your family now,” she says, and Angus feels warm inside.

“I know, but it’s an old habit. My grandpa always taught me to treat everyone with respect that way, and it’s hard to stop.” He’s quiet for a beat before adding, “Plus, I don’t know what else I would call you.”  
“I mean, I’ve definitely heard you call Taako ‘dad’ a few times.”

Angus feels his ears turn hot. “Yeah, but… I don’t know. I think he’s kind of uncomfortable when I do that. I don’t think he likes it.”

Lup laughs. “Trust me when I tell you, Angus, he loves it.”

“Wait, really?”

She holds up one hand as if swearing an oath, saying, “Twin’s honor. Taako has trouble accepting love, and showing his love for others. Basically just emotions aren’t his thing. And I think it’s weird for him because – don’t take this the wrong way, but he never wanted kids. So he just needs time to adjust to the way he loves you. Me, on the other hand, I have no problem saying that I love you.” She bumps her shoulder against his, continuing, “Hell, I loved you before we even met. Seeing Taako give you magic lessons, seeing how much you both care about each other – it was one of the things that kept me grounded those last few months I was trapped.”

“Wow, I never knew all that. I’m glad we could help you like that. Thanks for telling me, Miss Lup. And, I love you too.” It’s the first time he’s said it to her, but he knows for certain that it’s true. Lup smiles fondly.

“I told you, kid. No more ‘Miss’ and definitely no more ‘Ma’am.’ It makes me sound like an old lady, jeez!”

Angus laughs, “Okay, sorry. But what should I call you, then?”

“Well, if Taako is ‘dad,’ then I guess that makes me Auntie.”

“Auntie Lup,” Angus tests out the new title. He likes it; it fits her perfectly, to the point where even if Taako weren’t his new father figure, he thinks Lup would still be his Aunt. “Thanks, Auntie Lup. I feel a lot better now.” He does his best to hug her as they’re both still sitting side by side on the kitchen counter.

She wraps her arm around his shoulder, saying, “Any time, babe.”

Before he leaves the kitchen to head back to his room, Lup tells Angus one more thing: “Of course you can always talk to me, but you know you can also tell Taako, right? If you have another nightmare, or if you need anything.”

“But if he’s sleeping, I don’t want to wake him up.”

“He’ll be fine,” she says with a dismissive wave. “Taako likes his beauty sleep, but elves don’t _need_ sleep the way humans do. If it was me, I’d rather have you wake me up than not get a full night’s sleep yourself. Taako is only right across the hall; just think about it, next time.”

“I’ll think about it. Thanks again, Auntie Lup. Goodnight!” he says.

“Goodnight!” she calls after him.

Talking to Lup in the warm, bright kitchen had made Angus feel much better, but the rest of the house is large and dark. That, plus the fact that he doesn’t have his glasses on makes the shadows in the hallways feel menacing. His fear creeps back in slowly, escalating as he scales the stairs. He’s once again reminded of the black pillars of Hunger trying to destroy the world.

He finally reaches his bedroom, but he lingers in the doorway. The lamp is still on, but the room feels lonely. He knows that if he gets into bed now, he still won’t fall asleep. So Angus considers what Lup told him to think about, and then he makes his decision. He knocks on Taako’s door.

“Dad?” he calls, cracking the door open a few inches. Though it’s been a few months and the word has been spoken on a few occasions now, this is the first time Angus has said it with complete sincerity, and Taako’s reaction is immediate.

The elf sits up in bed, hastily pushing up the mask that was covering his eyes. His ears perk up and his tone is serious when he asks, “What’s wrong?”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to alarm you. I, um, had a nightmare, and I can’t sleep.” Even in the dark, Angus can see Taako’s visible relief that nothing more serious is wrong. Taako reaches over to turn on the light. He doesn’t have his glamour on, of course, but Angus sort of likes it. It’s like seeing someone without their makeup on – there’s a level of trust and comfort in being allowed to see him like this.

“A nightmare, huh? You wanna come sleep here tonight?” Taako pats the space next to him on the bed. Angus has déjà vu; Taako’s mannerisms are really just like Lup’s. And he’s surprised, too. He expected Taako to just talk to him for a few minutes and hopefully tuck him back into his own bed, but this is even better.

“Yes,” he responds earnestly, “just gimme a second.” Angus goes back to his own room, grabs his glasses off the table, and turns off the light. Then he dashes back across the hallway, where he places his glasses on Taako’s bedside table and scrambles into the bed.

“Do you wanna talk about it?” Taako asks.

Angus shrugs. “Not really. It was just a bad dream about what happened. Ya know, with the Hunger. And then I was a little scared of the dark.”

“Well, you at least don't have to worry about the Hunger, since you live with 3 out of 7 of the world's leading experts in totally defeating it. That's like, 60% of the team, right?" Angus giggles at Taako's bad math. "As for the dark, I think I have an idea to help.” Taako grabs his wand off the nightstand and quickly casts prestidigitation on the ceiling. Tiny pinpricks of light appear like stars in the sky. They’re bright enough to act as a nightlight, and Angus is enthralled.

“I don’t know the constellations that well, so I’m sure you could do a better job than me,” Taako explains.

“Wow, that’s so cool! I never thought of using that spell like that! And I love astronomy, I bet I could replicate all the constellations.”

“Yeah, I bet you could, you’re like the smartest kid in the world. Just don’t stay up too late stargazing, genius.” There’s no sarcasm in Taako’s voice at the nickname; he means it 100%, because Angus _is_ a genius. At the mention of staying up late, Angus suddenly realizes just how tired he is.

“I won’t,” Angus says, settling down further into bed. “Goodnight. I love you.”

Taako doesn’t say anything in response, but he leans down and kisses Angus’s forehead before reaching over to turn off the light. Angus thinks his heart his going to stop beating from sheer happiness. He has no trouble falling asleep and no more nightmares, knowing that he is safe and loved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn’t do this on purpose, but isn’t it funny how Lup channels professor Lupin? Anyway, I can't make that comparison without also saying JKR can fuck off. Trans women are women.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> IV.  
> Angus turns 12.  
> Taako throws a party.  
> Magnus gives a gift.  
> Kravitz gives a compliment.  
> And as always there’s heartfelt conversation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Um, y’all? This chapter is cute. Honestly, I was worried about getting this one done because I was having a bit of writer’s block, but then I hit my stride and like, I don’t even know where half this chapter came from but I really like how it turned out.

Taako has a busy few months. He’s still adventuring from time to time, when he gets requests from friends. He enters a partnership with Ren to continue the Sizzle It Up brand. He opens a school for magic, allowing Angus to be his teaching assistant while also taking classes of his own. And Kravitz moves in with them, which is really no surprise to anyone – their relationship has moved fast, and Krav spends most of his time in this plane visiting Taako anyway, so it just makes sense for them to live together. It’s barely even an adjustment, since he already works well with Barry and Lup, and he acts as a great stepdad to Angus.

Despite everything on his plate, Taako still makes time to throw a birthday party for Angus. After all, the World’s Greatest Detective only turns 12 once. Plus, some small part of Taako’s brain is aware of just how fast human kids grow up, and he wants to make sure Angus gets the most out of childhood while it lasts. He already acts like such a grownup, but he should have a chance to be a kid.

He first brings it up over breakfast one morning, about a month before Angus’s birthday: “Hey kiddo, do you have any ideas about your birthday?”

Angus looks up from his eggs quizzically. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, what kind of party do you want? How do you wanna celebrate becoming a _tween_?”

“Oh,” Angus sets his fork down in contemplation. “I hadn’t thought about it. I haven’t had a birthday party since… well, a long time.” Taako thought he had gotten past the point where Angus would break his heart with a casual conversation over breakfast, but apparently not.

“Well that fucking settles it, then. We’re gonna throw you a banger of a party. You can invite as many people as you want, and we’ll have music and games and I’ll make _so much food_.”

“Wow, okay! I can’t wait!”

Would Taako come to regret those words? Maybe a little. But Angus’s happiness is so worth grandiose promises.

Angus’s birthday arrives, along with what seems like every person he has ever met. Of course Angus wants to invite Magnus and Merle, plus Merle’s kids. Lucretia and Davenport get an invite as well, making it a small IPRE reunion as well as a birthday party. Angus invites some other people from the BoB, namely Carey, Killian, and Avi. Even Graham and Jess the Beheader get an invite.

And while he has no trouble inviting a bunch of adults to his birthday party, Angus seems a bit apprehensive about inviting his new friends from school. Taako can understand that – after all, he is technically their headmaster and Angus is the teaching assistant in some of their classes, so it’s a little awkward to welcome them into their home. But Angus is chock full of charisma and makes friends so easily that it seems like every student in the school is eager to attend his birthday. Taako can put up with a little awkwardness and a horde of tweens for Angus’s sake.

What he isn’t prepared for is the morning of the party, when Angus finds him in the kitchen and requests, “Please don’t embarrass me in front of my friends, dad.”

Taako feigns shock. “Me, embarrass you? Angus, what could I ever do to embarrass you? If anything, _you’ll_ embarrass _me_!”

“ _Taako_ ,” he whines.

“Okay, okay, no goofs on the birthday boy. But I make no further promises. You tweens are temperamental, you get embarrassed by the silliest things” he explains, brandishing a wooden spoon around like he's giving an animated lecture. 

“I’m going to find Kravitz and tell him to keep an eye on you,” Angus says with a glint in his eye, turning to leave the busy kitchen.

“This is entrapment. You’re turning my boyfriend against me!” Taako cries after him.

“Love you!” Angus calls over his shoulder.

Between cooking, cleaning the house, and decorating for the party, Taako feels like he’s been going nonstop for two weeks (though in reality it’s only been about two days). Thankfully Lup has been a godsend helping with the cooking, and his IPRE extended family are all staying at the house and have helped with the party setup.

Once the party starts (i.e., Angus’s friends arrive), all Taako wants to do is relax. He takes time to catch up with his loved ones, but mostly he just enjoys sitting on the porch and listening in on their conversations while watching the horde of tweens play party games in the yard.

When it comes time for presents, Magnus has the best one, hands down – although Taako feels like he should get a little bit of the credit too. Angus opens the box from Magnus and pulls out a single dog collar.

“Ha-ha, nice one, sir,” Angus says.

“It’s not a goof, Mango. My gift to you is your own dog. But a dog is like a best friend. I can’t just give you any dog, you gotta choose one for yourself. And Taako would kill me if I brought all my dogs into his house, so next week you can come visit me and pick out your pooch,” Magnus explains.

Angus’s eyes are wide. “Really? It’s not a goof?” His gaze flicks to Taako, standing next to Magnus. “I thought you said no dogs in the house?”

“Yeah, well, Mags is pretty convincing.” That was only part of the answer. Taako already has two cats and a human child to take care of, but his human child had wanted a pet of his own as a companion. And Taako, who had never been alone a day in his life – until certain events – was hard-pressed to deny Angus companionship. Plus, Magnus really was convincing when he used his own puppy dog eyes. So, he relented, and Angus is getting a dog. See, shouldn’t Taako get a little credit?

Angus looks back to Magnus, bursting, “Ohmygosh, thank you so much!” He actually jumps up and down in excitement, clutching the dog collar to his chest. “I can’t wait to pick one out! Will you help me train it?”

“Hell yeah, dude!” Magnus says, punctuating it with a high five. He and Angus delve into conversation about dog breeds and training methods, and Taako honestly tunes it out.

Okay, so maybe he doesn’t need credit when Angus’s excited smile is the best reward there is.

As the party winds down, Kravitz finds Taako in the empty kitchen, starting to put leftovers into containers and clear empty dishes. He gently places a hand on the small of his back, leaning in to press a kiss to his cheek.

“How are you doing?” he asks.

“Honestly, tired as hell.”

“Yeah, you’ve been busy. But it was a good party. You know, you’re doing a great job, Taako.”

“Yeah, natch. I’m the hostess with the mostest.”

Kravitz chuckles, “You are, but that’s not what I meant. With Angus. You’re doing a great job raising him.”

“Oh. Well, yeah. I have a knack for parenting,” Taako says with a casual flip of his hair. Kravitz raises an eyebrow.

“We both know that’s not true. You’re so far out of your depth, Taako. But I mean it; you’re doing a great job.” Kravitz wraps his arms fully around the elf’s waist, and Taako turns into the hug so they’re facing each other, placing his hands on his boyfriend’s chest.

There’s a moment of vulnerability that allows Taako to speak openly, there in the quiet kitchen, while their son’s birthday party murmurs on outside. “Yeah, I really don’t know what I’m doing, but I’m trying my best. You’re doing a pretty great job with him, too.”

“I don’t know about that,” Kravitz replies. “Raising him is your thing. He’s your son more than he is mine.”

“Mmm, but you’ve got a ‘cool stepdad’ vibe going on.”

“Alright, I’ll take it,” Kravitz laughs, but he’s promptly quieted by Taako closing the distance between them in a soft kiss.

They break apart after a moment, and Taako takes a step back, saying, “C’mon, help me out. This kitchen isn’t going to clean itself!”

It’s late before the houseguests are all finally dispersed and everything is cleaned up. Merle and his kids are all asleep, as well as Davenport. Magnus and Lup are 420 blazin’ it outside on the porch. Barry, Kravitz, and Lucretia are having a quiet discussion in the living room, and Taako is absolutely going to grill his boyfriend later to find out what they’re talking about. But for now, all he wants is a bubble bath. He pours himself a glass of wine and slips quietly upstairs.

Before he gets to his own bedroom, Taako notices that Angus’s door is slightly open, and the light is still on. He peeks in to see the boy lying in bed, reading.

“You’re still up, bubeleh?” he calls, knocking on the door quietly. “It’s late.”

Angus looks sheepish. “Sorry. I guess I lost track of time. My friends all pitched together and got me a bunch of new books.” Angus sits up, placing his book aside. Taako takes that as an invitation to step further into the room, placing his glass on the nightstand and sitting on the edge of the bed. He listens while Angus excitedly explains what he’s reading: “It turns out there’s a whole series about Caleb Cleveland’s older sister, Clara, and guess what? She has a dog that she takes with her to solve mysteries! I’m so excited to get my dog from Magnus! I think I’ll name it Caleb if it’s a boy or Clara if it’s a girl, and then I can take it with me when I go on cases, too!”

There’s that classic Angus McDonald enthusiasm that never fails to melt Taako’s cold heart. He can’t help but smile as he says, “That sounds great, pumpkin. I’m glad you’re excited. Did you have a good birthday?”

“Uh-huh. It was the best. Thank you for throwing me such a great party.” Angus’s expression turns thoughtful; he’s still smiling, but his eyes hide a hint of sadness. He pulls his knees to his chest, wrapping his arms around them.

“Hey, what’s up? A second ago you were bouncing with excitement. What’s wrong?” Taako wants to comfort him but isn’t quite sure what to do. He settles on brushing his hand up and down Angus’s arm a few times. It seems to help, but Angus still doesn’t meet his eyes when he speaks.

“I don’t know, I just feel a little bad. Like, guilty? You’ve been so busy as it is, and then you had to take all this time and do all this work to throw me a birthday party. And I haven’t had a birthday party in years, so it’s not like I needed to have one now. I feel like… I don’t deserve everything you do for me. Not just the birthday party – there’s all these little things you do for me too. Like, I know you don’t want a dog, but you still let me have a dog. You gave me a job and an education and a home and a family. And I don’t give you anything in return.”

Taako can’t stop himself from cupping the boy’s cheek with one hand, gently turning his face to meet his eyes. “First of all, I want to be very clear that you don’t owe me _anything_ , Angus. I take care of you because I want to, not because I want something from you. And second, World’s Greatest Detective, you should know that’s not true at all. You’re more competent than me at like, everything; you help me out all the time. You make me laugh. And honestly, you keep me sane. There was a time when you were the only person in the entire world, the entire _planar system_ that I trusted, and then I knew you were special. So you feeling guilty is bullshit. I don’t want you to ever feel guilty for being loved. You fucking deserve to be loved, Angus.”

The ‘I love you,’ is unspoken, as it almost always is, from Taako.

Angus pitches forward, burying his face in Taako’s shoulder. Taako welcomes him into his arms easily. He knows he probably just made the birthday boy cry, but this kid is a fountain of tears, and they’re happy just as often as they are sad.

“And you call me dad,” Taako says, adding on to the list of things Angus does for him. He squeezes his boy tight as he explains, “That’s the best thing you could ever give me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, that was really sappy, huh? I’m a bit concerned that Taako is ooc with his comment at the very end, but it was just too cute to not include. 
> 
> Also, a drinking game for this fic would be to take a shot every time Angus cries. Then take a drink of water every time a scene takes place in the kitchen.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> V.  
> Angus has an allergic reaction.  
> Taako has a panic attack.  
> Lup takes care of everything like the boss she is.  
> Merle does some healing.  
> Kravitz is a supportive boyfriend/coparent.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, it's me, your kind and benevolent author.  
> I present to you: an edited version of Forbidden Fruit, now with more heartfelt conversation!  
> Warning, here there be angst. Like the summary says, CW for panic attacks and allergic reactions.

Pineapples are rare on this planet, or at least, they aren’t common on this part of Faerun. Honestly, it’s been years since Taako has seen a pineapple, so when he comes across a vendor selling them at the local market, he buys as many as he can carry. He has a great recipe for pineapple upside-down cake that he hasn’t made in literal decades.

Angus sits at the kitchen counter, helping with small tasks here and there. Taako won’t easily admit it, but he likes teaching Angus. The kid was quick to pick up magic, and he’s quick to pick up cooking too. He’s eager to learn just about anything, and Taako loves the attention that comes with being a teacher, so it works out for them both.

Taako is putting the cake into the oven, after having carefully layered the rings of pineapple into the pan. “This is gonna be great, Ango. I haven’t had real pineapple in way too long.”

“I’ve never tried a pineapple before,” Angus tells him, and Taako’s eyebrows shoot up.

“Seriously? We’ve been making this cake for 20 minutes and you haven’t stolen a piece of pineapple yet? Who raised you?” Taako exclaims with fake indignation.

“Sorry. I didn’t know if you would have extra, so I didn’t take any.” Only Angus would apologize for _not_ stealing Taako’s food.

“Well lucky you, we do have extra. Help yourself,” Taako pushes the bowl of leftover pineapple rings toward Angus, scooping one out for himself and popping it into his mouth with a satisfied slurp.

Angus dips his fingers into the bowl, trying to pluck out some pineapple without getting juice all over his hands, and failing. Taako only laughs. Angus manages to pick up one of the slippery pieces of fruit and take a bite, immediately making a face at the tartness. Taako laughs harder. It only takes a second for Angus to get over the sharp taste before he chews and swallows.

“Mmm, you’re right, that was delicious!” he says, full of enthusiasm.

“Chya, of course I’m right little dude,” Taako responds with a smirk. He turns toward the mess left on the counter, starting to clean up. Angus reaches for another slice of the juicy yellow fruit and takes a bite.

Suddenly, Angus doesn’t feel very good. It sweeps over him like a wave. He feels sweaty and strange. Once, when he was younger and traveling on his own, he had gone too long without eating and had fainted. Right before it happened, Angus had suddenly felt like he wanted to cry for no reason; that’s how he feels now, and he knows it can’t be good. Then a cough rises in his throat and an itch breaks out across his skin like a shiver running down his spine. This is really not good.

“Um, Taako,” he tries to say, but it comes out raspy. There are too many strange sensations happening at once that he doesn’t even notice the swelling in his throat until he tries to speak. He still doesn’t register the tears running down his face, or the red bumps on his arms; but Taako does, when he turns at the sound of Angus’s voice.

The glass bowl he was carrying to the sink shatters on the ground as it slips from Taako’s hands.

“Fuck,” is all he says, quietly, as if he just realized he forgot an ingredient in his recipe. And then, louder, “Fuck. Angus!” and he’s stepping over broken glass, rushing to the boy’s side, grabbing his arms and looking into his face to try and find what’s wrong. His eyes flick frantically from Angus’s tear streaked face to the hives now welling up on his neck too. His mind works frantically to piece together what happened. There are tears streaming from Taako’s eyes now too, but neither of them notice; Angus closes his eyes as he coughs and wheezes and gasps for air.

“Ango, what… I didn’t… shit, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to…” Taako seems to start a million sentences but doesn’t finish any of them as his mind races. And then just as suddenly as he dropped the bowl, he drops Angus’s arms and turns on his heels, rushing to the other side of the kitchen and rifling through the cabinet above the sink, muttering “fuck, fuck, fuck,” until he finds what he was looking for – a tiny bottle of potion. Because of course Taako keeps anti-poison in his kitchen.

He practically shoves the bottle to Angus’s lips, forcing him to drink it. It’s okay; Angus has very little control over his shaking fingers at this point, and wouldn’t have been able to hold the bottle if he tried.

The initial adrenaline of the situation is starting to wear off for Taako, and is giving way to something much deeper. Existential dread and panic is starting to creep into his mind, his heart. His vision is tunneling, Angus's hive-covered face the only thing he can seem to focus on. The raspiness of Angus's breath is the only thing he can hear above the rush of his own blood in his ears. There's a clenching weight in his chest and his own breathing is labored now too, as if he too is having a reaction. He poisoned Angus, _he poisoned Angus,_ his mind is screaming at him, blocking out any logical thoughts, so he does the only logical thing left. He screams for his sister.

Lup’s blood runs cold when she hears Taako scream her name from the kitchen. She hasn’t heard him in such distress since… well, ever. Even during their most catastrophic missions, Taako always deflects and plays down the situation. She knows something is seriously wrong. She’s upstairs in her room, but she makes it to the kitchen in under five seconds.

She takes in the scene – the broken glass on the floor, an empty bottle of anti-poison in her brother’s shaking hand, the boy with hives now on every visible part of his body – and seems to understand immediately. Thank Istus that Lup stays so cool under pressure. (Later, when Angus is recovering, Taako will express this exact thought to her. The only words out of his mouth will be “Thanks, Lulu,” but she speaks fluent Twin and knows exactly what he means. He will hug her so tight she thinks she might break, even though she knows he is the broken one right now. So she’ll hug him and hold him while he lets out the emotions he normally tries so hard to hold inside. But that will be later.)

A scythe appears in Lup’s hand out of nowhere, and for the tiniest millisecond there is true horror in Taako’s eyes. But then she turns away from the scene in the kitchen and uses her scythe to tear a hole in the fabric of reality. She steps through it, and mere moments later she returns, literally carrying Merle by the collar of his fantasy-Hawaiian shirt.

“I don’t know what happened, but you need to heal him,” Lup explains. To his credit, Merle catches on quick. He spends just a moment surveying the scene before pulling out his Extreme Teen Bible and making his way to Angus.

The total elapsed time since Angus ate the pineapple has been 3 minutes and 48 seconds. The last coherent part of Taako’s brain wonders how everything went to hell so quickly.

In the time that Lup was getting Merle, Taako somehow ended up on the floor, with Angus lying half in his lap. Angus himself is close to unconsciousness at this point. He’s found one of Taako’s hands with his own and is holding on for dear life, but that’s about the only thing outside of his own body that he can focus on.

Merle makes his way over to them, flipping through his bible in search of a healing spell. He tries to ask Taako about what happened, so he can choose the best spell for the job, but he doesn’t get many answers. He spots the empty bottle of anti-poison, now rolling helplessly on the floor next to Taako.

“It was poison?” Merle asks. Taako turns ghostly pale and doesn’t answer.

Lup chimes in, “If it was poison, the potion would have helped. It has to be something else. They were baking together, Angus must have eaten something he was allergic to.”

“Ah, allergies. Well, that’s better than poison!” Merle chuckles, and Lup elbows him in the ribs. He mutters for a moment, turning back to the book in his lap and flipping to a new page. When he finds what he’s looking for, he glances up at Taako, who looks almost as worse for wear as Angus.

“I got the kid, Lup. You take care of your brother,” he tells her.

Lup meets Merle’s eyes for a moment. She’s putting a lot of trust in Merle to heal Angus, but deep down she knows he can do it. She nods, turning toward Taako, who is still grasping Angus’s hand and hovering over the boy.

“Hey, Koko,” she says, laying her hands on his shoulders. She sounds so calm and steady compared to the storm of panic and chaos going on inside Taako’s brain. “Give him space. You need to let Merle do his work. Angus will be okay.”

Taako meets Lup’s eyes for the first time, and he looks so utterly lost.

“Lup,” his voice is barely above a whisper. “I didn’t mean to hurt him. I only used a little magic, I thought it was safe. I thought it was safe.”

“You didn’t hurt him. He’s having an allergic reaction. This isn’t your fault, Taako.”  
“I… I still fed him the pineapples.” His voice breaks.

Lup knows what happened at Glamour Springs; she knows what this is really about, why this is hitting Taako so hard. She needs to get him out of this kitchen so he can start to calm down. But when she starts to pull his hands, he refuses to stand up, shaking his head.

“No, I won’t leave him,” he protests.

Lup turns back to Merle and Angus. By now, Merle has finished the spell he was working on; the hives across Angus’s skin are starting to fade, and his breathing has evened out. He’s now very clearly unconscious, but at least he seems to be out of the woods.

“He’ll be okay,” Merle reassures. “He’ll need to rest, and you’ll have to watch him. He could have a secondary reaction in a few hours. I’ll make some potions to give him if it happens again, and some he’ll have to drink when he wakes up. But he’ll be okay,” he says again, looking pointedly at Taako, who nods.

“Though you should probably get him up off the floor and into bed,” Merle adds, now looking at Lup.

“I’ll do it,” Taako says before Lup can respond.

“Taako, I don’t think you should –”

“I’ll do it. He’s my… he’s mine. I’ll take him to his room,” Taako explains, scooping Angus into his arms and leaving no room for discussion.

“Fine,” Lup sighs, and she follows him out of the room just to make sure that Taako is okay carrying the boy up the stairs to his bedroom. Taako lays Angus down and sits at the edge of the bed.

“Taako, he’s okay. Are you?” she asks, but he seems not to hear her. She touches his cheek, gently turning his face so he’ll take his eyes off Angus and meet her own. “Are you okay?” she repeats.

Taako doesn’t look okay at all, but he nods. Lup sighs again.

“Okay. Stay here with him, and I’ll be right back.”

She leaves the room, going back downstairs. She takes the potions from Merle, listening to his instructions and thanking him profusely before bringing him back home. She cleans the glass off the kitchen floor and takes the ill-fated cake out of the oven before it burns the damn house down. She calls Kravitz on his stone of farspeech to tell him what happened. Kravitz is at work and offers to come home immediately, but she assures him that everything is under control. Kravitz promises to come home as soon as possible anyway. Then Lup enchants one of the comfy armchairs from the living room and floats it up the stairs into Angus’s room, where she convinces her brother to sit. If he’s going to stay by Ango’s bedside, he might as well be comfortable.

Lup squeezes herself into the chair next to Taako and holds her brother close while he cries and Angus sleeps.

Angus loves having his own bedroom. The walls are painted sea green, his favorite color; there are wrestling posters and a map of Faerun on his walls; and of course there’s the bench in the bay window, right next to a bookcase carved by Magnus. Pinpricks of light glow above him like stars when he opens his eyes, just the way Taako showed him those months ago. The World’s Greatest Detective notices a few new things in his room, too. First, an armchair from the living room sits by the bed, and second, his adoptive dad sits in the armchair with his eyes closed. Oh, and his throat feels sore and his skin feels weirdly prickly. Angus takes a deep breath and starts to sit up, and Taako’s eyes snap open.

“What happened?” Angus manages to ask.

“You’re allergic to pineapple,” Taako says wryly, before softening his tone. “How do you feel, sweetheart?”

_Sweetheart_? Angus is used to Taako’s pet names for him, but they’re never this affectionate. In fact, most of the time Taako’s nicknames are goofs at Angus’s expense. What happened that could possibly make Taako call Angus sweetheart?

Angus remembers helping Taako in the kitchen. Eating the tart pineapple. The hives on his skin, the swelling in his throat, gasping for breath. Oh yeah, that’s what happened.

“I feel okay. My throat feels sore, and my skin feels a little prickly. But I can breathe alright, so I guess I’m okay.”

Just then Lup appears in the open doorway.

“Did I hear Angus?” she asks, stepping into the room. “Hey, look who’s awake!” she says when Angus turns to look at her, and her smile is so relieved and genuine that it makes Angus smile too.

“Yeah, bubeleh’s awake. Hey, Merle left some shit for you to drink when you woke up, let me go grab those for you. Stay here with him, Lulu,” Taako says, getting up and heading for the door.

“Sure thing,” Lup says, taking the seat Taako just left. Once Taako is out of the room, her face turns serious.

“Are you sure you’re okay, Ango?”

“Yeah, I’m okay, Auntie Lup. But um, is Taako okay? He doesn’t look great.” Nothing gets past the World’s Greatest Detective, and Taako had really been a mess. He normally takes such pride in what he looks like, but now Taako’s hair looks like it’s been put into a hasty bun, his makeup is smudged, and he still wears the apron he put on when they started baking. He has dark bags under his eyes, but Angus isn’t sure if they came from exhaustion or runny mascara. Probably both.

Lup looks a little sad, and seems to choose her words carefully before she answers.

“Taako is okay, now that you’re okay. But that really scared him, worse than I’ve ever seen. He had a panic attack.”

“Because of me?” Angus looks worried.

“Well… yes and no. Ango, do you know what happened at Glamour Springs?”  
Angus nods. Of course he knows. Everyone in the world knows.

“That really messed him up for a while. He didn’t cook for a long time, especially not for people he cared about. He was afraid that his cooking would hurt them, or worse. And when you started to have an allergic reaction, I think his mind sort of jumped to the worst, and he panicked.”

“So, he thought he… poisoned me?” now Angus is really concerned.

“Yeah, he did. That’s why he reacted so strongly. If he thought that he caused something bad to happen to you, it would break him. I don’t think he could live with that. You’re the one person he’s supposed to take care of, and he thought he poisoned you. So he panicked. But he calmed down a bit once Merle healed you, and I talked to him for a while. He’s okay now, just shaken.”

“Wow,” Angus says, in a quiet voice that reminds Lup of just how young he is. Angus is so independent, so mature, so _smart_ that it’s easy to forget that he’s still a kid.

“Did Merle say whe – ” Taako is barely two steps into the room when Angus cuts him off by practically throwing himself out of bed and into a hug.

“Pumpkin, you shouldn’t be out of bed,” Taako says, but his words are empty, because he does his best to wrap his arms around Angus while still holding Merle’s potion bottles in one hand.

“I’m sorry I scared you so much.”  
“Wasn’t your fault, bubeleh.”

“Still. Um, thank you for taking care of me. I love you.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Taako pats his back, the closest he’ll get to saying he loves Angus too. “Okay, Agnes. C’mon, you have to drink this medicine.” He starts to extract himself from the hug, guiding Angus back toward the bed.

Angus is a good boy, as always, and drinks the medicine he’s given without complaint (though he does scrunch up his face at the taste, reminding Taako of only hours earlier, when he had first tasted the fruit that caused this whole mess.)

“Well, I’ll let you get some rest,” Lup says, standing from the chair. She leans over the bed to give Angus a hug of her own before leaving.

“Thanks, Auntie Lup. I love you too.”  
“I love you too, too, kiddo,” she says with a smile and a wink, nudging Taako with her elbow on the way out of the room as if to tell him, “see, it’s not that hard to say!”

Angus and Taako settle back down onto the bed and chair, respectively. Angus insists that he’s fine and doesn’t need to be watched over all night. Taako insists that he wants to make sure Angus doesn’t have any secondary allergic reactions. Guess who wins that fight.

But it’s okay; Angus doesn’t really mind, anyway. He likes knowing that Taako is there for him. Because even though he doesn’t say it with words, the fact that Taako is willing to sit there all night to keep Angus safe is proof enough that he loves him too.

Before he falls asleep, Angus asks Taako to lie down with him. Taako grumbles about it, but it’s all for show – he can’t deny Angus anything, and getting to cuddle his boy is actually nice.

“Taako?”

“Mm?”

“I know it wasn’t either of our faults, but I really am sorry for scaring you like that. And I’m sorry about what happened to you at Glamour Springs. That must have been awful.”

It’s the first time anyone has ever apologized about what happened to him at Glamour Springs. People have expressed sympathy about the people who died or disapproval for what Sazed did, but no one has ever apologized about what happened to _Taako_. He spent so many years carrying around the fear and guilt and shame of that day that even once he learned the truth, the trauma was too deeply rooted to be removed. But here is this child, recognizing his pain and acknowledging that something terrible and traumatic happened to Taako that day, too. He feels validated in a way he never has before.

“Damn, Angus. That’s…thank you. I needed to hear that. Which one of us is supposed to be the parent here?” Angus giggles, and Taako kisses him on the forehead. It’s happened a few times now, but it never fails to give Angus butterflies.

“You are,” he says. “Goodnight, dad.”

When Kravitz gets home, he peeks his head into Angus’s room. Angus is asleep, but Taako waves him into the room.

“Sorry I’m so late,” Kravitz whispers. “It’s easy to lose track of time in the astral plane. Is everything okay?”

“No worries, babe. We took care of it. Or, I guess Lup took care of it while I had a panic attack, but it got taken care of anyway. Everything is okay now; we’re both alright.” He looks down at Angus affectionately. Here in the dark of the night, it’s somehow a little easier to show his emotions. Kravitz sits on the edge of the bed.

“Lay down with us.”  
“In this tiny bed?” Angus’s bed isn’t really tiny – it's actually pretty large for a boy his size – but it’s tiny compared to their huge king sized bed.

“C’mon, there’s plenty of room. It’s cozy!” Kravitz smiles and lays down, with the still sleeping Angus squeezed between them.

It’s quiet for a few moments before Taako says in a whisper, “I fucking hate kids.” It’s so absurd that Kravitz actually laughs.

“No you don’t, Taako,” he replies, receiving only a glare in response. “Someone who hates kids doesn’t open a school. Or adopt a son. You can refuse to say it all you want, but everyone can see how much you love Angus.”

Taako sighs. “Yeah, fine. I accidentally fell in love with him, and it fucking sucks.”  
“What do you mean?”

“It’s like having yet another piece of my heart walking around outside my body, that I have to worry about constantly. At least with you and Lup, I don’t have to worry about you dying. But Ango is just a kid. He’s so grown up, but he’s so fucking young, Krav. I have to worry about everything for him; I just want to make sure he’s okay. And if I was the one to hurt him –”

“You didn’t hurt him. You handled the situation very well, from what Lup told me.”

“That’s just it, though. I didn’t handle it. I let Lup handle it while I had a fucking panic attack.”

“You knew to get help. You did your best, given the situation, and you got help for Angus. You put his needs above your own. I know it’s hard, but that’s what it means to be a parent.”

Taako is quiet for a moment before he sighs. “Fuck. Then I hate being a parent.”

Kravitz chuckles, and Angus takes a deep breath and stirs between them.

“Love you too, dad,” he mumbles, rubbing his eyes.

“What the fuck,” Taako is indignant. “Ango, did you hear that whole conversation?”

“Mostly. You were whispering right over me!” Angus explains, still clearly very sleepy.

“You’re grounded,” Taako says, but his voice is tender. Angus knows he isn’t serious, but plays along anyway.  
“What? Noooo! Dad-vitz, help me out.” Angus uses this nickname for Kravitz sometimes when he’s being silly, and it always makes him laugh.

“Don’t worry, bud. I won’t let him do that to you.”

Taako turns the conversation around, asking, “How are you feeling, pumpkin?”

“Much better, now. But I’m pretty hungry. I guess I never ate dinner.” Angus’s stomach growls right on cue.

“Well let’s go, then. I’ll make pancakes.”

“But it’s the middle of the night,” Angus protests.

“Middle of the night pancakes are the best pancakes. Have I taught you nothing, Agnes?” Angus just smiles and follows Taako out of bed and into the kitchen, Kravitz bringing up the rear.

Twenty minutes later, their little family sits at the breakfast nook, laughing and eating pancakes together long before the sun rises. The pancakes they're eating were made completely magic-free, but no one comments on that. Lup enters the kitchen, looking every bit like an elf who doesn’t need to sleep.

“Aw hell yeah, midnight pancakes are the best pancakes!” she exclaims, grabbing a plate of her own. Taako gives her a high five for proving his point.

“What about Barry? Isn’t he left out?” Angus asks.

“You snooze, you lose. Humans sleep too much, in my opinion,” Lup responds, but Angus notices her saving a few pancakes on a plate off to the side anyway.

Earlier that day, Angus had been in this kitchen when a rush of bad feelings – fear and anxiety along with the physical reactions – had spread over him. Now, he sits in the kitchen surrounded by his family as a rush of good feelings – love, happiness, belonging – washes over. His family is not conventional by any stretch of the imagination, but it’s perfect anyway.

He looks across the table at Taako, who meets his eye and gives him a warm smile. Taako, who almost never tells Angus he loves him. And yet, Angus thinks about all the things Taako has done for him, all the ways he cares for him, and all the ways their relationship has changed and grown. And he realizes that maybe Taako has been telling him how much he loves him this whole time, he just hasn’t been using words.

And Angus doesn’t need words to know that he is so, so loved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thanks for reading, commenting, and leaving kudos!


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> VI.  
> The McDonald family becomes official.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoy this piece of me as much as I enjoyed living in the world of these characters.

Kravitz asks Angus, before he asks Taako. He takes Angus out to spend an afternoon together, which isn’t uncommon, especially when Taako is busy. If Angus notices that Krav is nervous, he doesn’t say anything about it, thankfully. They go to the local village and spend the morning walking around, shopping and talking. Finally, around lunchtime, Kravitz buys them ice cream from a little shop and guides them to a local park, where they find a spot in the grass to eat. Angus licks his sweet treat happily, but Kravitz is too nervous to pay attention, and melted ice cream drips down his hand by the time he brings it up.

“Angus,” he clears his throat. “There’s something I want to talk to you about. Something I want to ask you.”

Angus furrows his brow. “Is everything alright, sir – I mean, Kravitz?” Breaking the habit of calling everyone ‘sir’ has been difficult for Angus, but somehow, this little slip up has helped ease the tension Kravitz was feeling. He feels himself relax a bit. This is Angus; there’s no need to worry, he’s going to be overjoyed by the question.

“Yes, yes, everything is more than alright, actually.” He takes a deep breath before continuing, “Angus, I wanted to ask your permission, because I want to marry Taako.” He is met by an entirely blank stare from the boy.

“You wanted to ask _my_ permission to marry _Taako_?” Angus repeats, clearly trying to parse the thought process.

“Well, yes,” Kravitz suddenly feels the need to rush to explain further. “I want to marry Taako, and the two of you are sort of a package deal. So I don’t think it’s right for me to ask him without asking you first.”

“But you don’t need my permission. You’re both adults,” Angus reasons, and Kravitz smiles at his logic.

“That’s true. But it must be a little weird for you, right? Taako is your dad, and I’m just your dad’s boyfriend. I want to make sure you’re comfortable with it,” Kravitz says with a shrug.

“You’re not just my dad’s boyfriend. I thought we were already a little family.” Angus looks skeptical of Kravitz’s reasoning.

“Of course we are, Angus! I love Taako, and Taako loves you like a son, and in the time we’ve been living together, I’ve come to love you as my son too. Honestly, nothing will even have to change. I just thought it would be nice to make things official. To show the both of you how much you mean to me.”

Angus finally seems to understand exactly what Kravitz means, and his face breaks out into a huge grin. “Oh. Well then, heck yeah, you have my permission!” he says, and Kravitz lets out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding.

He smiles back. “Okay, then! There’s just one more question I have for you.” Angus’s smile turns curious before Kravitz asks, “Will you help me pick out a ring?”

Angus asks about a million questions as they finish their ice creams, wondering about when and where and how Kravitz is going to ask Taako. If Kravitz ever had any doubts that the kid is a detective, they’re gone now. He also needs about a million napkins, because at least half his ice cream melted while he was asking Angus for permission.

Finally they’re finished, and Kravitz leads them through the town toward a jewelry store. Inside are shelves and displays of every kind of gem and jewel for every part of the body you could imagine. A kindly old orc man calls a hello as they enter, telling them to ask if they want to try anything on. The large glass display case full of rings is straight ahead, at the back of the store. Many of the jewels in the case look brand new, but a fair amount look antique. Either way, they are all beautiful.

Kravitz and Angus gravitate toward opposite ends of the counter, and wordlessly begin to examine the selection. They work in tandem without even having to discuss their strategies with each other, and Kravitz is reminded why he gets along so well with Angus – of course the boy is hard not to love, but it’s their similar natures of being direct and to the point that really allows them to bond. Kravitz looks at each ring and mentally compares it to the jewelry he knows Taako owns before moving on quickly. Angus takes more time, examining each ring like he’s looking for clues. They work their way down the counter, passing each other in the middle and only coming back together to talk once they’ve both looked at all the options.

“What do you think, detective? See any that you think he’d like?” Kravitz asks.

Angus nods enthusiastically. “I saw a few, but one in particular that I think is perfect for Taako.”

“Yes, there was one that jumped out to me as well,” Kravitz nods in agreement. “Show me what you’re thinking.” He can’t help his smile and rush of affection when Angus strides over and points directly to the same ring that had caught his own eye.

It’s one ring, but it looks like a stack of three bands. The band in the middle is simple silver and holds a round sapphire. The two outer bands curve away from the center band, creating an oval shape that looks almost like an eye with the sapphire as the pupil. The outer bands are each embedded with seven gems that gradually change in size, with the largest in the middle and smallest on the ends, adding to the curved effect. The gems in the top band are sparkling white diamonds, while the gems on the bottom band are glassy obsidian.

Everything about the ring seems perfect for Taako. It’s like a visual representation of their little family – Taako, the dazzling sapphire in the center; Angus, the bright and sunny diamonds; and Kravitz, the smooth dark obsidian. And the fact that there are seven gems on either side feels significant, in a symbolic way. The ring looks antique yet still clean and in good condition, like it has been worn and well loved for a long time, but even that feels somehow fitting for Taako.

“Yeah, that’s the one.” Kravitz says. They don’t even have to debate about it, or compare it to other possible rings. They both know that Taako will love this one.

Kravitz racks his brain for ideas about the best way to propose. Angus also supplies plenty of ideas, but everything they come up with is over the top and dramatic, full of grand gestures. Which, yeah, might seem perfect for Taako, but this is Kravitz’s moment, too. And where Taako loves to be the center of attention, Kravitz is much more reserved. In the end, Krav decides that the best thing to do is have a relaxed, romantic dinner date before popping the question.

Taako loves good food, and as much as he loves to cook, Kravitz knows that he would also appreciate a delicious meal that he didn’t have to spend hours preparing. He asks Ren to cook Taako’s favorite meal for them – after all, who better to ask than Taako’s best culinary student? – and Ren is more than happy to oblige. With portals through the astral plane, Ren is able to make the food in her own kitchen, then pass it off to Kravitz ready to be served, leaving their own kitchen spotless to preserve the magic of the surprise.

He lets Lup and Barry in on the surprise and asks them to take Angus out for dinner, so he and Taako will have the house to themselves. Angus, of course, is bouncing with excitement. For a moment Lup is indignant that Kravitz asked Angus for Taako’s hand but didn’t consult her at all, but she can’t pretend to be mad for long, and soon she’s chatting excitedly with Angus. Kravitz has to silently plead with Barry to get a handle on the situation. Krav and Barry have become quite good friends; they have a lot in common through their jobs and the fact that they’re both dating one of the most over the top twins in the world, and luckily Barry understands the exasperation in Kravitz’s eyes on a personal level. He pats his soon-to-be brother-in-law on the shoulder before herding his own wife and nephew out the door.

Kravitz pauses for a moment after they’re gone, thinking about those connections. If he and Taako get married, Lup will be his sister, Barry will be his brother, and of course, Angus will be his son. Officially. He marvels at the amount of people in his life he has gained just by loving Taako; that by opening up to just one person, he now has an entire family. He thinks Angus must feel the same way.

Kravitz sets up a table for two on their porch, lit by candles and string lights. He double checks with Ren that she’ll be ready when it’s time for dinner. And then he waits. He’s so fucking nervous.

Taako is suspicious the moment he walks through the door and finds his generally busy home to be so quiet. “Hello?” he calls as he steps through the door. “I’m home.” Kravitz jumps up from where he was worrying in the kitchen to meet him.

“Hey, babe! How was work?” he asks, trying to keep his demeanor calm.

“Yeah, fine, whatever. Where the fuck is everyone?” Taako asks.

“They went out. I asked Lup and Barry to take Angus so we could have a little date night.”

“A date night?” Taako seems to come to an understanding. His eyebrows raise and he smiles as he says, “Oh. Alright, then, bone daddy.” He grabs Kravitz’s hand and takes a step toward the stairs, but Kravitz stays standing in place.

“Ah, not that kind of date night,” he says sheepishly. “Actually, I arrainged dinner.” Now he pulls on Taako’s hand, leading the elf through the hall into the kitchen.

“You _arrainged_ dinner? Krav, what’s going on? Did Lup put you up to something?” Gods, Taako has a lot of questions, and it’s not helping with his nerves, but Kravitz also can’t help but laugh at his suspicion.

“Nothing’s going on. I just wanted to surprise you with a nice dinner, since you’ve been working so hard lately. Come on, let’s sit down.”

Taako looks dubiously around the spotless kitchen before allowing himself to be lead out onto the porch, but stops when he sees the setup. The table is set with fine silverware and burning candles, with several red roses in a vase as the centerpiece. The sun is setting, washing everything in brilliant golden light. It looks too romantic, too perfect.

“Okay dude, what the fuck? Where did all this come from? Are you about to like, propose to me or something?” He says it as a joke, but Kravitz freezes.

“What?”

Now Taako freezes. “What?”

“What? No, I don’t, I just, it’s just dinner, I –” he splutters, but Taako cuts him off.

“Kravitz. Krav. Babe. Are you serious right now?”

Kravitz takes a deep breath and lets it out in a sigh. He runs a hand over his hair as he says, “Shit. I was going to wait until after dinner, I had a little speech planned. But I guess it doesn’t matter now.” He reaches into his pocket, pulls out an ornately carved wooden box (courtesy of Magnus), and gets down on one knee.

Taako feels like his soul has left his body – and he knows what that feels like. He clutches his hands to his chest like some kind of southern belle.

“Taako,”

Kravitz doesn’t get any further before Taako practically screams, “Yes!”

“You really want to ruin this, don’t you?” he asks, but he’s smiling so widely, like the fool in love that he is. “I didn’t even ask you yet!”

“Okay, sorry, sorry. Go ahead, ask me.”

“ _Taako_ ,” Kravitz starts again, and speech be damned. He’s cutting right to the point: “Will you marry me?”  
This time, Taako doesn’t say anything. Instead he simply pulls his new fiancé up by the collar into a bruising kiss.

When they actually do sit down to eat, he takes one bite of his favorite meal and says, “Oh, you got Ren to make this?” Kravitz is dumbstruck – all of his surprises this evening have fallen apart in Taako’s hands.

“How did you know?”

“A master chef knows his pupil’s work.” He supplies vaguely. “So let’s see, who wasn’t involved in this proposal? You got my business partner to make us dinner, my best friend to make the ring box; I’m assuming you told my sister when you asked her to take Angus out. Wait, does Angus know?”

“Yes, Angus was the first to know. I actually asked for his permission to marry you, and he helped me pick out the ring.”

Taako isn’t typically a romantic, but his heart completely melts at the thought that Kravitz values their little family enough to ask Angus for his permission. He would normally try to deflect his feelings by poking fun at Krav, but he’s feeling so sappy that he can’t even do that. Instead he just holds out his hand, fawning over the ring on his finger that fits him like magic. He tamps down the emotion in his voice as he says, “Well, the two of you did a great job. It’s perfect.”

They’re still finishing a bottle of wine on the porch when the rest of the family gets home. Lup and Angus are somehow filled with even more excited energy than before, which practically vibrates the air around them. Even Barry now has an expression of excited anticipation. They creep into the kitchen, and Lup peers out the window above the sink overlooking the porch. Angus tries to look too, but he’s slightly too short and has to jump up and down to see anything. It’s not subtle at all, and Taako sees them immediately.

“Well, the celebration committee is here,” he says to Kravitz, nodding his head toward the window. Angus and Lup take that as their cue to rush outside, both babbling a billion questions. Barry follows them out with a smile.

Taako shuts them up by standing from his chair dramatically and clearing his throat. “Lup,” he says, “I’m not just dating the grim reaper. I’m _engaged_ to the grim reaper!” He punctuates the sentence by holding his hand forward to show off the engagement ring. Lup bypasses it altogether, throwing herself at her brother in a hug as she wraps her arms around his waist, lifts him off his feet, and spins him around.

“Fucking finally! Congratulations,” she laughs, and then her voice turns sincere. “I’m so happy for you, Taako.”

Taako looks around as he’s set back on his feet. Barry has made his way to Kravitz and is shaking his hand, congratulating him as well. In the commotion, Angus has been left standing awkwardly to the side, a goofy smile still plastered to his face but looking unsure of what to do with himself.

Taako’s smile turns warm when they meet eyes, and he reaches out his arms toward his boy. “C’mere, pumpkin,” he calls, and Angus rushes forward into a hug.

“Congratulations,” he says into Taako’s shirt. “I’m really happy for you.”

Taako runs his hand soothingly over Angus’s back. “I’m happy, too. And thank you – I heard you helped pick out this beautiful ring.” Angus pulls his face away from Taako’s shoulder to beam and nod. At the mention of the ring, Lup grabs Taako’s hand and turns it this way and that, examining the jewels. When she’s satisfied with looking, she wraps her own hand around Taako’s and squeezes. He squeezes back.

Taako has always had trouble allowing himself to feel emotions. But here he is, standing on the porch of a home he never thought he would have, holding on tight to the sister he will never lose again, with one arm still wrapped around the son who fell perfectly into his life, and the welcome weight of an engagement ring on his finger from someone who loves Taako more completely than he could ever have imagined being loved.

So yeah, he’s feeling some emotions. Who could blame him?

The thought occurs to him in the middle of the night. The whole evening had been a whirlwind, a true roller coaster of emotions. So he’s been having trouble falling asleep with all the thoughts running through his mind. But this one is important.

“Krav,” he says, elbowing his new fiancé for good measure.

“Mm, what? S’mthing wrong?” he asks groggily. The reaper technically doesn’t need to sleep, but once he’s out, he’s dead to the world – so to speak.

“I was just thinking about Angus.”

“Mmhm, we love Angus,” he says, seemingly ready to let that be the end of the conversation and go back to sleep.

“Kravitz,” Taako says, more severely this time, and the reaper finally opens his eyes. “I was thinking about, like, our family. And what it means for Angus if we get married.”

Thankfully, Kravitz is taking the conversation seriously now. “I don’t see an issue for Angus. I mean, things will only change in name. Everything else will be the same.”

“Yeah, in name. That’s the problem.”  
“Taako, it’s the middle of the night and you’re speaking in riddles.”

Taako sighs. “Look… I made a promise to Angus that I wouldn’t leave him behind. And yeah, _we_ know that nothing major is going to change, but I know the kid, he worries about everything. He’s going to feel like by getting married, I’ll want to leave him behind so I can live my life with you.”

“So we’ll just talk to him about it, explain that he’s an important part of our family.”

“Yeah, but I have an idea.”

“I don’t know if I like the sound of you having an idea in the middle of the night,” Kravitz says warily.

“Like you said, it’s about the name. Neither of us have a last name, right?” Kravitz nods. “So what if, when we get married, we both take McDonald?”

Kravitz sits up, now fully awake. “You want to be known as Taako McDonald?”

“Well, _no_. I think the Taako brand is strong as it is, and changing the name isn’t a great business decision. But, ya know, I don’t see any problem with having a legal last name just for symbolism, or whatever. Just to show Angus that I’m not leaving him behind by marrying you.”

Kravitz smiles deeply. “Taako and Kravitz McDonald. That’s actually a wonderful idea, babe. I think Angus will be touched by the gesture.”

“But, can we maybe keep it between us? It can be a surprise. Something special just for Ango on our wedding day.”

“I love that idea,” Kravitz says, leaning in to place a kiss on Taako’s cheek. “Goodnight, Mr. McDonald.”

“Ugh,” Taako feigns disgust, even through his smile. “It’s not the best last name, but at least Lup will never be able to make fun of me. Anything is better than fuckin’ _Bluejeans_.”

It’s a difficult secret to keep, over many months of planning and preparing for the wedding. It turns out that the World’s Greatest Detective is good at discovering secrets. It doesn’t help that Taako almost slips up a number of times, especially when he has heart to heart conversations with Angus. Feeling like he deserves to be part of their family is still a struggle for Angus, at times. Taako understands – he struggles to accept love, too. It’s why he sees so much of himself in Angus, and why he loves him so fiercely.

Finally, the day arrives. The couple looks gorgeous, like the picture of marital bliss, with Taako in a flowing gown and Kravitz in a sharp suit. And finally, the moment of the surprise arrives, too, once they finish their vows.

“I now pronounce you, Mr. and Mr. McDonald. You may kiss the groom!” Merle says.

From his seat right on the aisle in the front row, Angus gasps, but the sound is lost in the applause as the newlyweds seal their vows with a kiss. Kravitz and Taako turn, hands clasped, ready to make their walk back down the aisle together. Before they do, though, Taako looks to Angus.

Angus has never seen Taako look as happy as he does in this moment; he’s truly glowing with joy. For his part, Angus was already watery eyed during the vows, but at the realization that they’ve taken his last name, the floodgates have opened and his face is covered in happy tears. Taako reaches out his free hand to Angus.

“Really?” Angus asks, and Taako nods. That’s all it takes. Angus is out of his seat immediately, slotting his hand into Taako’s. Together, the three members of the McDonald family make their way joyously down the aisle and into the rest of their lives.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're curious, the engagement ring is meant to look like this https://www.pinterest.com/pin/204702745550156240/ with a sapphire in the center, rather than a grey diamond. 
> 
> Well, y'all. I can't believe I wrote something this sappy and romantic. I also can't believe I wrote something this long! This is by far the longest thing I have ever written, and that includes my college thesis and anything I wrote in grad school. 
> 
> I would like to sincerely thank you for reading. To everyone who has been commenting and leaving kudos, especially those who commented on every chapter and/or Forbidden Fruit, thank you so much. This fic would not exist without the motivation your comments bring me. 
> 
> That's all she wrote!


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Extra drabbles!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh, I guess that was not all she wrote. Surprise!
> 
> This isn't a normal chapter with a plot or anything. It's just a few little scenes and drabbles that have been on my mind. Basically, spending a lot of time with my niece and nephew plus my first week at school has left me feeling all kinds of ways, so here I am projecting onto fictional characters! This whole thing has "Dear Theodosia" vibes, as evidenced by the very first line XD
> 
> Also, fun anecdote: my niece has been nicknamed 'chalupa' since she was an infant so when I started listening to TAZ I was like hell yeah, I'm calling her Lup from now on. I love my nibblings dearly and a lot of these drabbles were inspired by that.

Domestic life was never quite Taako’s style, and yet he finds himself settling into this new pattern of life with frightening ease. If someone had told him 100 years ago, or 10 years ago, or hell, even 1 year ago that he would have a son and a husband and a successful career, he would have called them crazy. But here he is. 

There are little things in his life that would have left Taako angry or annoyed or - worst of all - completely apathetic in the past, but now somehow melt his heart. And little moments shared with Angus, or with Kravitz, or with his family all together, that leave Taako at a loss for how it’s possible to love and be loved so purely by someone who doesn’t share his exact DNA. 

  
  


There are other moments that pull at Taako’s heartstrings when he realizes how fast Angus is growing up. He thinks about it one night when Angus asks him to paint his nails. They sit at the kitchen table, Angus with his hands lying flat on top of a paper towel as Taako masterfully applies the polish. He notices how little Angus’s fingers are, so different from Taako’s own hands. Angus’s hands look so small, and yet, aren’t they already so much bigger than last year, when Taako had shown him how to cast mage hand? The thought brings on that bittersweet feeling that he’s come to hate so much about parenting. Having Angus in his life has brought on so many unexpected moments of joy, but it also has him getting sentimental about something as banal as a manicure. It sucks. 

  
  


A few weeks after the nail polish incident, Angus is hanging out with Taako while he does his makeup for the day. He’s almost finished when Angus speaks up.

“Hey, Taako? Um, do you think some time you could teach me how to do that? Like, makeup stuff?” 

Taako glances at Angus through the mirror, doing some mental gymnastics for a moment. This feels like a parent test, and he doesn’t know what the right answer is. Is Angus too young for makeup? Is there even a right age to start wearing makeup? He doesn’t want Angus wearing makeup for the wrong reasons, but he should let Angus express himself how he wants to, right? 

“Uhhh, Ango, I think I’m like contractually obligated to give you a speech about how you’re beautiful the way you are and you don’t need makeup to impress people, yada yada, you should want to wear makeup for yourself and not for anyone else, all that bullshit. Capiche?” 

“Well yeah, _duh_ ,” Angus replies, and damn. Taako isn’t sure if he’s rubbing off on the kid too much or if this is just a symptom of being a preteen - probably a deadly combination of both - but the sass is real sometimes. “I just like the way it looks. So can you show me?”

Taako rolls his eyes despite his wide smile. “Yeah, come on over, pumpkin.” Angus hops off the bed toward the vanity where Taako sits, and the elf scoots over to make room for him on the bench. Taako looks into Angus’s face for a moment, considering. “Hmm. You have pretty nice skin, and we don’t want to make you break out. Plus my foundation doesn’t match your skin tone at all. So let’s just focus on the eyes right now, and we can go to Fantasy Sephora to get you your own stuff later.”

“Okay!” Angus agrees enthusiastically. Taako talks to him about different types of brushes for eyeshadow, making clean lines, and how to wing out eyeliner. It takes Angus several attempts and a few makeup removing wipes to get his eyeliner looking decent. He’s also skittish about the mascara wand near his eyes, but Taako assures him it just takes some practice getting used to. 

When his makeup is finished, Taako looks into Angus’s face and can’t help thinking that his little boy is growing up. Which is a ridiculous thought, because Angus was never little to him. He never held Angus as a baby; he didn’t teach him how to walk or talk or change his diapers (thank gods). Angus was basically already a fully formed human by the time they met. Sure, he was still a kid, but he wasn’t a little boy. So why does Taako’s brain tell him that Angus is his baby?

“Hey Ango, could you do me a favor and stop growing up so fast?” he asks as a way to dispel this bittersweet feeling. 

“Sorry, dad, but I can’t stop time,” Angus replies. 

“Shit, you’re right. Why did we get rid of that temporal chalice, anyway?”

Angus turns serious rather quickly at that comment. “I don’t think you should joke about that,” he says quietly. 

“I’m sorry, bud. I was just making a goof,” Taako explains. 

“Yeah but, like... you died because of that, Taako. You all died, so much. I don’t like to think about that. It... it scares me,” he says, lifting a hand to rub his eye as if keeping tears away. Taako grabs his hand quickly to stop him.

“Careful, you’ll smudge!” He hands Angus a tissue and shows him how to dab the corners of his eyes so his makeup won’t smudge. “Anyway, babe, did you forget who I’m married to? Like, your other dad is literally the grim reaper. Does he scare you?” Taako has a moment of panic, combing through his memories of Angus and Kravitz together for evidence that Angus actually doesn't like his stepfather. 

“No, no, Kravitz doesn’t scare me. It’s different. You know, my birth parents died, and then my grandpa died, and I was all alone. So I guess I’m scared of what would happen to me if you died, because I love you and I’d miss you and I don’t want to be alone without you.”

Well, that’s a heavy answer, and Taako supposes he should lighten the mood. “Oh, is that all? Listen, sweet pea, this family has a very flexible relationship with death. If you think dying is gonna stop me from telling you to clean your room, you’ve got another thing coming.” Angus cracks a smile at that, and Taako feels better at just the sight of it. “I ain’t leaving you alone, kiddo. How many times do I have to tell you that? We’re gonna have to get it tattooed on your fucking arm or something, jeepers!”

Angus’s eyes flash with mischief. “You’ll let me get a tattoo?!” he asks. Fuck, what did Taako do to corrupt this kid? He was never so mischievous before. Maybe it was Lup. Yeah, Taako’s definitely blaming this one on Lup. She’s such a bad influence. Not Taako’s fault in the slightest. 

  
  


Angus likes to sleep in Taako’s bed. Taako likes reading in bed, and Kravitz works weird hours, so sometimes Angus will climb into the empty side of the bed with his own book, and the two of them will read quietly until Angus falls asleep. Then when Krav gets home, he’ll carry Angus back to his own bed. They’ve fallen into such a comfortable routine that sometimes Angus doesn’t even bring a book with him, just climbs into Taako’s bed and falls asleep right away. Everyone is fine with it. Except...

“Do you think we should be worried?” Kravitz asks one night, coming home to find Angus yet again asleep on his side of the bed. Taako has learned his lesson, and quickly casts a silence spell around Angus so he won’t be awoken by their conversation. 

“Well yeah, I have a lot of things to worry about. Which one are you referring to?”

“Don’t be a dick,” Kravitz replies good naturedly. “I mean about Angus. Should we be worried about him sleeping in our bed so often?”

“Oh.” Taako had never considered this a bad thing. Sure, some people might say that he’s getting a little too old to be sleeping in his parents’ bed, but if it means he’s able to sleep soundly then it can’t be bad. “I wasn’t worried. Does it bother you?”

“No, of course not,” Kravitz is quick to reassure. “I’m just concerned. Is he having that many nightmares? Should we do something about that?”

Taako sets down his book. Since opening his school, he’s gotten rather serious about becoming a good teacher. It started as a rivalry with Lucas Miller’s dumb school, but now Taako finds that he actually cares about wanting his students to do well. So he reads a lot of books about pedagogy, and honestly, it helps in his parenting too. Right now he’s reading about “incorporating social-emotional learning with trauma informed practices” which seems like a lot of jargon but is actually pretty helpful. It’s also definitely why he responds the way he does to this conversation. 

“If he is having that many nightmares then I think yeah, we have to do something about that. But I don’t think that’s really the issue here. Krav, Angus has trauma. Well, actually we all have major trauma, but Angus’s brain is still like, mushy and doesn’t know how to deal with it. Plus Angus has trauma from before the Hunger too, from being on his own after his birth fam kicked the bucket. I think he clings to us - he clings to me, specifically, sorry babe - because he’s fucking terrified of being alone. And not just like, alone in his bedroom; alone as in we’re all completely gone from his life. So yeah, this is a coping mechanism,” Taako waves his hand toward Angus, still oblivious to their conversation. “But is it really that harmful?” He shrugs. 

Kravitz is dumbfounded. He thought this was a simple question; he did not expect such a thoughtful, informed response. “Who are you, and what have you done with my husband?” he asks. 

Taako flips his hair. “I’m educated, baby!” He grabs the book he’s been reading and waves it in Krav’s face. “Can’t be a good teacher if I don’t know what my students are going through.”

“And I guess you can’t be a good parent if you don’t know what your child is going through,” Kravitz adds with a smile, and Taako nods. “Well, I’m highly impressed, Taako. And you tried to tell me you don’t like kids.”  


“I _don’t_ ,” Taako insists. Kravitz rolls his eyes. 

“Of course not, dear,” Krav replies, and Taako flips him off. “Anyway, you’re apparently the expert here. Should we do something about this?”

Taako considers for a moment. “We should talk to Ango about it, but at this point we’ve done so much to assure him that we’ll be in his life forever. Maybe therapy would be good for him, if he wants to go.”

Kravitz nods. “Yes, I agree. And maybe we could go with him for family therapy. You kind of brushed over the fact that we _all_ have trauma. And I know you, Mr. ‘Pretend I don’t have any feelings,’ won’t admit that you probably need therapy too. But I think talking about it would be good for all of us.” When he sees Taako start to pout and grumble, he adds, “At the very least, do it for Angus.”

Fuck, that was a low blow, because Krav knows Taako would do almost anything for Angus, even if he won’t admit it. And it works. “Fine. If Angus wants me there, I’ll go to family therapy with him.”

“Wonderful.” Kravitz leans in to peck a kiss on Taako’s cheek. “Thank you, Taako.”

Their conversation moves on as Kravitz gets ready for bed. When he’s ready to lie down, he glances at Angus sleeping so peacefully and only takes a second to consider before he decides, “I think he can stay here tonight.” He scoops the boy into his arms, but instead of lifting him out of the bed, he simply scoots him over, closer to Taako, giving Kravitz room to lie down. Taako smiles at his husband before wrapping an arm around his son and settling down as well. 

  
  


Taako is a mess when Angus starts working as a detective again. He knows Angus is more than competent to be out on his own, even if he does seem a little young. Taako just has to remind himself that Angus was doing this on his own long before they ever met, when he was much younger and didn’t even know any magic. Now Angus is learning to be a great wizard, he’s got probably the best family support system in the world when it comes to fighting monsters, plus he’s taking his loyal dog Clara with him, so he’s not _technically_ alone. He’s more prepared than he ever has been, but still, Taako worries. 

He reminds Angus at least 8 times that if there’s trouble, Kravitz, Lup, and Barry can all be there within seconds if he calls them on their stones. He wants Angus to call him every day to check in, but Angus points out that he might be under cover, or too busy to call so often. They compromise with at least one call every 48 hours, and Angus promises to call more often if he has the chance. 

His first big case is in Goldcliff, and he’s taking the train there all by himself. Taako takes some comfort in the fact that Angus will be working with Hurley once he gets there; she’ll keep an eye on his boy for him. Everyone says their goodbyes at the house, but Taako walks Angus to the train station to see him off. It’s funny, because the first time they met Taako literally threw Angus off a moving train without a single care. Now he’s worried sick as Angus gets ready to step onto a totally safe, normal train with no known murderers on board. 

“You’re being ridiculous, dad,” Angus says as Taako pulls out his camera to take his picture on the train platform. He’s wearing his fancy boy outfit, he’s got a backpack full of all his detective gear, and he’s holding the leash of his golden retriever, who sits happily at his feet, wagging her tail. He just looks so cute, how was Taako _not_ supposed to take a picture? 

“Newsflash, Ango, being ridiculous is what dads do.” He finishes snapping the photo. “Are you sure you’re ready? Do you have everything? Your stone of farspeech?”

“ _Yes_. You already asked that when we left the house.”  
“Just checking. Remember about calling me. And I’m serious, if there’s any sign of trouble at all, you call Lup and she’ll be there immediately.”

“Okay, okay. Gosh, now I know how you felt when you used to go out on missions and I would call you on your stone all the time,” Angus says with a goofy grin. 

“Yeah, so you also know how I feel waiting here for you to get back. I just want you to be safe, pumpkin.”

“I will, I promise.” Angus surges forward into a big hug, and they both linger there a little longer than normal. They’re broken apart by the sound of the train whistle, as Angus scurries onto the train. From the doorway he shouts, “Bye dad! I love you!” 

“Love you more, Agnes!” Taako calls, because he’s willing to say it when he thinks Angus needs to hear it. 

Part of Taako even wants to get on that train with Angus, but that wouldn’t work for several reasons. Not least of which is the fact that Taako is pretty recognizable - not to mention attention seeking - and would blow Angus’s cover immediately. It also seems like Taako’s mere presence would attract some monster or villain or crazy situation that would actually put Angus in _more_ danger. And then there’s the fact that Taako has, ya know, a job and shit to do. 

That doesn’t mean he gets much work done while Angus is away. What he does do is bake. A lot. Angus is only gone for one week, and in that time Taako bakes three cakes, two batches of macarons, and one batch each of brownies and chocolate chip cookies, all on top of cooking his usual elaborate meals for dinner. The kitchen counter is overflowing with baked goods. Although nobody in the house is actively complaining, it is a lot of sweets for one household to handle. At one point, Lup threatens to hide the sugar from Taako, and Barry starts bringing the treats to work with him in the astral plane just to get rid of some of the surplus. Taako never thought the Raven Queen herself would ever taste his raspberry cheesecake, but apparently she’s a big fan. 

Finally, Angus returns home safe and sound. Kravitz walks with Taako, holding his hand the whole way to the train station to greet their son. Normally Angus is the one bouncing off the walls with excitement, but right now it’s clear that Taako is eager to see his boy, even if he shows it in a slightly different way. As soon as the train stops at the platform Taako is bowled over, not by Angus, but by the ball of fur that is Angus’s dog Clara licking his face. Angus runs up behind her after only a few seconds. 

“Oops, sorry! I guess she was really excited to see you,” Angus explains. Taako is able to push the dog down and just smile. Because yeah, it’s gross and he doesn’t want a dog licking his face, but it’s Angus’s dog, which means that Angus is here. He pulls the boy into a tight hug. 

“It’s okay, bubeleh. I was really excited to see you.” Angus hugs him back tightly, but Taako pulls back after a minute to look him over. He looks completely fine, unharmed, totally normal. Taako breathes a sigh of relief, letting out the tension that he hadn’t realized he’d been holding in all week. 

So maybe Angus isn’t the only one with an unhealthy attachment here, but whatever. They’ll work that out in family therapy. For now, all that matters is that Taako fucking loves Angus. 

  
  


There’s a mess in Taako’s house. Sure, he was never really one for cleaning and he’s certainly not a neat freak, but it’s nice to come home to a tidy environment. Instead, he constantly comes home to a disaster. Angus leaves his shoes in the middle of the floor by the front door, right next to a dog leash and a tennis ball. His homework is spread across the kitchen table from the moment he gets home until the moment Taako is ready to serve dinner. He leaves half-read books all over the house; Taako will never understand how he’s able to read so many books at one time, putting down one book in the living room and picking up another in the kitchen without getting confused. 

And though he’s getting older, Angus has a fair number of toys and games he’s accumulated while living with Taako. Like the basketball that just lives next to the door in the kitchen now, or the kite that got stuck in a tree and left there, even though someone could easily cast mage hand to get it down. He has action figures of all his favorite wrestlers, which are a major hazard when they’re left on the floor and Taako is barefoot. There are sketches drawn at school and photos from his detective cases, as well as journals and case files left out on tables. And don’t even mention the dog toys and treats - Angus spoils his dog almost as much as Taako spoils Angus himself, which is saying something. 

But as much as Taako would like to come home from a long day of being the greatest wizard ever to a nice, clean home, he somehow can’t bring himself to be upset by any of this. One day Lup comes home with a kitschy, hand-embroidered sign she found at a yard sale that says, “Bless This Mess.” She claims it’s for the irony, and Taako laughs because she’s right. He would never hang a sign like that in seriousness... and yet, isn’t it just a little bit true? Something about the presence of the mess in his home, and the person who made it, seems like a tiny miracle. 

He hangs the sign right next to the front door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thanks for reading!


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